10 African footballers who changed their citizenship

• Freedom to travel, live, and work in other countries is a massive advantage if you want to live and work internationally or retire in another country.
• Adopting citizenship can provide security and economic stability for those from countries experiencing political or economic instability.
• Dembele and Kante are among African footballers who adopted second citizenship.

Change of citizenship or second citizenship has become popular among individuals looking for opportunities or access to better healthcare and education.

It can provide security and economic stability for those coming from countries experiencing political or economic instability.

Second citizenship can offer multiple benefits to individuals, and in this article, we bring you a list of some African footballers who changed/ adopted dual citizenship.

1. Leroy Sane

Starting off our list is Leroy Sane, a German footballer currently playing for the Germany National team and Bundesliga’s Bayan Munich football club as a winger.

Sane is currently playing as a winger for the Germany National team and Bundesliga’s Bayan Munich football club. Photo/Team Talk

Sane was a Senegal citizen before he changed to Germany as his adopted Country.

He is the son of the former Senegalese international footballer Souleymane Sané and a former German gymnast Regina Weber, the 1984 Summer Olympics bronze medalist.

2. Angelo Ogbonna

Angelo Ogbonna is an Italian professional footballer currently playing for premier league club West ham United as a centre-back player.

Ogbonna is currently playing for premier league club West ham United as a centre-back player. Photo/ Football Italia

The 34 years old Ogbonna was born to Nigerian parents who later emigrated to Italy in 1983 and settled in Casino City, the central part of Italy; at the age of 18 years, he luckily adopted Italian citizenship.

3. Ousmane Dembele

Ousmane Dembele is a French professional footballer playing for the France National team and the La Liga club Barcelona as a winger.

Photo/ Getty Images

Dembele is Malian, having been born to a Malian father but later adopted the France citizenship.

He joined Barcelona in 2016, just a year after joining Borussia Dortmund for an initial fee of €105 million, a move that made him the second most highly-paid footballer.

4. Ngolo Kante

Ngolo Kante, just like his Compatriot Dembele, is a Malian citizen who later adopted french citizenship.

N’Golo Kante after winning virtually every individual, club and country honour available, and is the supreme modern-day midfielder Photo/The Sun

As a central midfielder, he is a professional footballer playing for France’s National team and Football Club, Chelsea.

He was born to Malian parents in Paris, who later 1980 migrated to France.

5. Tammy Abraham

Tammy Abraham is a professional footballer playing for the England National Team and Serie A club Roma as a striker.

His African Heritage is Nigeria, but he later adopted England.

6. Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe is a professional footballer playing for France’s National football team and Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain.

He is among the best players in the world for his dribbling abilities.

Mbappe was born and raised in Paris to His father, Wilfried, originally from Cameroon, and her mother, an Algerian.

7. Marouane Fellaini

Fellaini currently plays for the Chinese club Shandong Taishan as a midfielder.

He was born to Moroccan parents in Etterbeek and brought up in Brussels.

His father, a former goalkeeper for Raja Casablanca and Hassania Agadir, signed for Racing Mechelen.

Unfortunately, Morocco refused to approve his paperwork and opted to stay in Belgium, where Fellaini was born; he acquired Belgium citizenship by birth.

8. Mario Ballotelli

Ballotelli plays as a striker for the Swiss Super League club Sion.

He was born to Ghanaian immigrants and later when he was two his family moved to Bagnolo. Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

He was born to Ghanaian immigrants, and later, when he was two, his family moved to Bagnolo Mella, Brescia, Lombardy, and he adopted Italian citizenship.

9. Luís Carlos Almeida

Luís, commonly known as Nani, plays for Portugal in international football and the A-League Men club Melbourne Victory.

The 36-year-old Luis was born in Amadora, Lisbon metropolitan area in Portugal, and raised by his aunt after his parents abandoned him.

He adopted Portuga citizenship.

10. Bukayo Saka
Saka is an English professional footballer playing for the England national team and the Premier League club Arsenal.

He’s regarded as one of the best young football players in the world and has been playing for Arsenal ever since.